Audi annexes DTM crown with 6 races left

STILL WITH six races to go in the series, Audi has already secured the manufacturers’ championship title in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters ( DTM) with a podium lockout of the recent leg at the Nürburgring in Germany.

The 12th round of the season saw three championship contenders dominate the race: Nico Muller and Robin Frijns of Audi Sport Team ABT Sportsline, and Rene Rast of Audi Sport Team Rosberg. Mr. Frijns turned in the fastest time in all three sectors during the qualifying (a rare feat in the DTM), clinching the fifth pole position in the series — and 19th consecutive for Audi.

As the race unfolded though, Mr. Muller proved to be faster as he used DRS and Push-to-Pass on lap seven to overtake Mr. Frijns. From there, he continued to pull away and eventually built an 11.8-second lead over Mr. Frijns, and 19.5 seconds over Mr. Rast, for his fifth season win.

While commending Audi Sport Team ABT Sportsline for its performance over the weekend, Mr. Rast vowed Audi Sport Team Rosberg will continue to mount its challenge in the remaining six races.

Another Audi entry, Ferdinand Habsburg of customer team WRT Team Audi Sport, secured sixth position at Nürburgring after qualifying second. Meanwhile, Audi Sport Team Phoenix also scored points with both its drivers: Mike Rockenfeller finished seventh and Loic Duval ended in ninth. The next four DTM races will be held in Zolder, Belgium, from Oct. 9 to 11 and from Oct. 16 to 18. The last two rounds are scheduled in Hockenheim, Germany on Nov. 6 to 8.